Worrying trend: India's Covid-19 positivity rate doubles to 16.69 per cent in 12 days

New Delhi, Apr 18: The daily coronavirus positivity rate in India in the last 12 days has doubled to 16.69 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate has increased to 13.54 per cent in the past one month, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

India reported a record 2,61,500 new coronavirus cases and 1,501 deaths on Sunday, while active cases have surpassed the 18-lakh mark, the ministry data stated.

Ten states -- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan -- reported 78.56 per cent of the new infections, it said.

"The daily positivity rate in the last 12 days has doubled from 8% to 16.69%," the ministry said in a statement.

"The national weekly positivity rate has increased from 3.05% to 13.54% in the last one month."

Chhattisgarh reported the highest weekly positivity rate at 30.38 per cent, followed by Goa at 24.24 per cent, Maharashtra at 24.17 per cent, Rajasthan at 23.33 per cent and Madhya Pradesh at 18.99 per cent, according to the ministry.

The active cases in the country mounted to 18,01,316, comprising 12.18 per cent of the total infections and a net increase of infections in a span of 24 hours.

Five states -- Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala -- account for 65.02 per cent of India's the active cases.

The cumulative recoveries have surged to 1,28,09,643 after 1,38,423 more people recuperated.

Out of the 1,501 deaths, 10 states account for 82.94 per cent of the new deaths.

Maharashtra saw the maximum fatalities at 419, followed by Delhi with 167 deaths.

Nine states and Union territories have not reported any COVID-19 deaths.

These are Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.